College basketball preview: TSU men

Updated 9:00 am, Friday, November 10, 2017

Kevin Scott (4) of the TSU Tigers goes for a layup against the Alabama State Hornets in a college basketball game on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at H&PE Arena on the TSU Campus.

Kevin Scott (4) of the TSU Tigers goes for a layup against the Alabama State Hornets in a college basketball game on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at H&PE Arena on the TSU Campus.

Photo: Wilf Thorne, For The Chronicle

College basketball preview: TSU men

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Coach Mike Davis (336-221 overall, 99-69 in five seasons at TSU).

Last year 23-12, 16-2, first in SWAC; lost to North Carolina in first round of NCAA Tournament.

Outlook While forward Derrick Griffin headlined Texas Southern basketball before leaving to pursue an NFL career halfway through last season, it’s another big man that could grab headlines this year. Trayvon Reed, a 7-2 Auburn-transfer, averaged 1.1 points and 2.0 rebounds while establishing himself as a defensive force in just under nine minutes per game for the other Tigers. Texas Southern lost five seniors, so Reed and fellow sophomore Demontrae Jefferson should figure prominently on both ends of the court. The Tigers will also look to Kevin Scott to help replace the lost scoring of Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Zach Lofton.

Player to watchJefferson, the Tigers electric guard, scored 14.8 points and 3.3 assists per game on his way to SWAC Freshman of the Year honors last season. With Lofton gone, they’ll lean on the 5-7, 150-pound Jefferson, although he’s already proven that he’s prepared for the big time. He dropped 27 points in his debut against Louisville last year.